COUNCIL officials say they creating more primary school places after a shortage was identified in several North-East districts.

While most areas in the region have a surplus of places for primary children, the National Audit Office has warned that all Darlington schools could be full by 2014/15.

In Stockton, the predicted surplus is so small that parent choice would be limited, while in North Yorkshire a small shortage is predicted in York.

Darlington Council, which is facing an expected shortfall of -1.6 per cent, said it had been working to address the problem for several years.

A spokeswoman added: "We use demographic information to inform future planning and cabinet recently met to discuss our schools organisation plan.

“Plans, including expansion, are in place to ensure where ever possible we can accommodate children in the borough's school."

Councillor Ann McCoy, Stockton Council's cabinet member for children and young people, said the authority started work over a year ago to increase capacity in schools to cope with increased demand in the coming years.

She added: "Earlier this month, cabinet agreed admission numbers for September 2014 which will see primary places across Stockton Borough rise to 2,582.

“This is an increase of 209 places on previously published admission numbers."

Nationally, more than 250,000 school places are needed urgently, according to the National Audit Office.

The demand for places has been driven by the birth rate rising more quickly than at any time since the 1950s, the spending watchdog said.

Mike McDonald, Northern regional secretary for the National Union of Teachers, described the report as “damning”.

He added: “The Department for Education has badly under-estimated the cost of delivering new places, a problem which has grown rapidly on their watch.

“This has not been helped by the 60 per cent real terms cut to capital funding announced by the Government in 2010.” But Schools Minister David Laws said the Government was tackling the problem and had increased funding for new school places to double that spent in the previous Parliament.

He said he thought the Government would be able to create the quarter of a million places needed by September next year.